He Quanming returned only to see his son once, staying at the estate for just one night before immediately heading back to the county seat the following day.

However, with his father's encouragement, He Yiming was suddenly filled with drive, and he began to throw himself wholeheartedly into cultivation alongside his brothers who had also advanced to the Sixth Level.

In the He Family Estate, there were quite a few servants and menials, but He Yiming had no personal attendants. This was because, in order to temper the mindset of the disciples of the third generation, it was impossible to allow them the luxury of being waited on hand and foot. Yet, at the very least, they did not have to worry about food, clothing, or shelter; their daily meals and changes of clothes were certainly not something they needed to concern themselves with.

It was only under these circumstances that these young masters could dedicate their entire focus to cultivating their internal energy or practicing their combat skills.

It felt as if in the blink of an eye, nearly half a year had passed in quietude.

On this particular day, He Yiming stepped out of his small courtyard and looked at the servants diligently sweeping the grounds nearby. His mood suddenly turned somewhat despondent.

Over these nearly six months, he had not wasted a single day.

He had poured all his energy into the cultivation of his internal energy. To his mingled surprise and delight, regardless of whether he practiced the Metal-attributed Primordial Energy or the Water-attributed Ripple Skill, his internal energy was steadily improving step by step. Even more astonishingly, his Water-attributed and Metal-attributed internal energies could actually be converted into one another, as if these two techniques were not of different attributes, but rather the same fundamental skill; any slight improvement in one brought a corresponding boost to the other.

Although He Yiming was still young and lacked extensive experience in the path of cultivation, even an idiot knew that such a situation was far from normal. Of course, he harbored no intention of showing off, choosing instead to bury this anomaly deep within his heart.

As for those two combat skills...

To be honest, aside from the occasional practice session, He Yiming had not touched them again.

It wasn't because he had taken his father’s and third uncle’s words to heart; rather, it was because during his first full run-through of their cultivation, he had already brought both combat skills to the peak of the Sixth Level. Even further practice later on would yield no additional progress.

Naturally, as his internal energy cultivation continued to rise, the actual power displayed by the two combat skills increased accordingly. However, this was not the result of the skills themselves, but merely the outcome of his enhanced internal energy. Therefore, He Yiming only practiced them a few times to keep them from growing rusty, then dismissed them from his mind.

Thus, after nearly half a year, he once again encountered an advancement bottleneck.

This time, however, he told no one. He knew that reaching the peak of the Sixth Level internal energy and hitting the advancement barrier in just half a year was an unprecedented feat.

One had to remember that cultivating internal energy became progressively harder; once one reached the higher tiers, maintaining continuous improvement was practically an extravagant dream.

Eldest brother He Yitian reached the Sixth Level internal energy at the age of fourteen, but it took him a full five years to cultivate to the peak of that level. In the final year, through sheer luck, he inexplicably transcended the Sixth Level barrier, smoothly advancing to the Seventh Level at the age of nineteen.

This speed was already the fastest among the three generations of the He Family Estate; even his uncle, He Quanxin, only achieved advancement at the age of twenty.

As for the second and third brothers, although they had entered the Sixth Level internal energy before He Yiming, they were still struggling bitterly in this tier, far from reaching the peak, let alone touching the Sixth Level barrier.

He Yiming was different. During the last two days of cultivation, he distinctly felt that his internal energy could not improve even a fraction more. Furthermore, he experienced the same sensation he had felt when encountering the bottleneck of the Fifth Level previously.

This feeling was exceptionally clear, standing in sharp contrast to the vague impression of before, allowing He Yiming to easily discern his current realm.

After two days of strenuous practice in his courtyard yielded no progress, He Yiming walked out of his room, troubled.

He wandered away from the estate, subconsciously heading toward the large lake in the distance.

Before long, he arrived at the lakeside, gazing at the shimmering, gently rippling water. His mind was like the lake surface, beyond his own control. A gust of wind would come, and the recently calmed water would wrinkle into overlapping folds once more.

He sighed softly, a hint of self-mocking laughter touching the corners of his mouth.

The last time he managed to successfully break through the Fifth Level internal energy bottleneck was because of a bizarre event he still couldn't fully decipher that he encountered in this very lake. Although that incident nearly cost him his life, it had granted him a crucial breakthrough. But such an opportunity was already a lifetime blessing; though he hoped, he knew he could not expect a second stroke of good fortune to descend upon him.

Yet, sitting by the lake, his mind uncontrollably drifted back to the events of that day.

Even though nearly half a year had passed, everything felt so vivid, so utterly unforgettable.

He remembered that after that encounter, he returned home and began practicing the Ripple Skill that very night. It was precisely on that night that he achieved the breakthrough he had yearned for, advancing to the Sixth Level realm.

Suddenly, a subtle shift occurred in He Yiming's mind. A thought seemed to flash across his brain like lightning. He vaguely sensed that this thought was extremely important, perhaps something that could affect the most crucial matter of his entire life. But regrettably, the thought was merely a hazy feeling; he could not clearly grasp it.

Slowly, he sat by the lakeside, his gaze fixed silently on the undulating ripples on the water, his mind churning with countless thoughts, yet still achieving nothing.

A flat stone flew past him not far from his side, skipping across the lake surface a few times before sinking to the bottom.

He Yiming looked up in surprise, catching sight of his little brother's happy, smiling face.

He shook his head slightly, glancing at the sky, only then realizing that their morning practice session was over.

"Yitao, you're still playing here? Hurry back and study your characters. If you skip class, be careful Third Uncle flays your hide," He Yiming chided with a laugh. In the entire estate, aside from Third Uncle, everyone doted on this younger brother.

He Yitao, lively as a young monkey, scampered to his side. "Sixth Brother, Father said I have the day off today. You're finally out, though; these past few months, you've nearly turned into a cultivation fanatic even more intense than Eldest Brother."

He Yiming managed a wry smile; he truly didn't know how to explain things to his little brother. But if their positions were reversed, he believed his little brother would likely be even more obsessed than he was.

"Sixth Brother, how is your cultivation going?" He Yitao asked casually. "Are you confident you can reach the peak within four years and touch the Sixth Level barrier?"

He Yiming pondered for a moment. He knew that if he told the truth—that he had already touched the Sixth Level barrier—this little fellow would certainly make a huge fuss and let everyone know.

Shaking his head slightly, he sighed lightly. "Yitao, cultivating the Sixth Level internal energy isn't that easy. You'll understand when you advance to the Sixth Level yourself."

He Yitao’s face was full of eager expectation, his eyes even seeming to sparkle with tiny stars. But this look only lasted for a very short time before vanishing entirely. He drooped slightly. "Sixth Brother, I wish I could, but Father said I don't have the talent you and Eldest Brother have, nor your level of effort, so I am far behind you in cultivation. However, he said my mind is sharp and my vision is unique, quite resembling Second Uncle in his youth, so he wants me to read more books and take over the family business later."

He Yiming opened his mouth. He recognized the unwillingness in his little brother's heart, but there was nothing he could do about this matter.

Cultivators placed an extremely high demand on talent; if one wasn't suited, they simply weren't suited, and no reason or remedy could change that reality.

He Yitao, still possessing a child's nature, became lively again after a moment of silence. He glanced around, leaned close to Yiming's ear, and whispered, "Sixth Brother, let me tell you. Father said, don't look at Second Uncle now—so steady and composed—but when he was young, he was the most mischievous of the three brothers, just like me, and he got spanked the most by Grandfather."

He Yiming's face immediately contorted into an expression of exasperated amusement. Yitao certainly wouldn't lie to him, but to think their father, in his youth, had such a reputation—it was truly unexpected.

However, Yiming had no intention of seeking confirmation from his father, mainly because his backside wasn't currently itching.

He Yitao picked up another flat stone from the ground, bent down, and tossed it out, causing a few ripples to spread across the lake surface.

"Sixth Brother, are you still practicing your Ripple Skill?"

He Yiming suddenly started. He asked, "What did you say?"

"What internal energy technique are you practicing now? It should still be the Primordial Energy…" He Yitao looked at Yiming, who appeared frozen like a wooden statue, and asked in surprise, "Sixth Brother, you're not practicing the Ripple Skill, are you?"

A glint of excitement gradually appeared in He Yiming's eyes; his gaze, which had been as stagnant as dead water moments before, sprang to vibrant life.

He turned, gave He Yitao a huge hug, and said, "Yitao, thank you."

With that, he let go of his younger brother, disregarded the look of surprise and confusion in Yitao's eyes, and turned, striding quickly back toward the estate.

By the lake, only He Yitao remained, holding an unthrown stone in his hand. He stared dumbfounded at his retreating Sixth Brother, his mind filled with questions. Why did Sixth Brother thank me?

Did something go wrong with his cultivation? Did he injure his brain...

Ps: Brothers, the update is here! Send those recommendation tickets! ^_^